Uniting two gigantically prolific and influential entities in the field of weirdo electronic dub, The Orb’s recent collaboration with legendary Jamaican producer and MC Lee Perry could not be more fortuitous. Last year’s Tales From the Orbservatory confirmed our intuition that these oddball egos and their psychedelia-drenched musical ideas would make the most best pairing since steak and red wine.

More Tales… is six newly released tracks accompanied by their respective instrumental versions –a blessing that I had been wishing for since hearing the duo’s first collaboration. It’s not that Perry’s MCing is intolerable –on the contrary, his rambling improvisatory sermons only crystallize the work’s surrealism- but the instrumental versions are more accessible to longtime Orb fans weary of the spoken word’s prevalence to a project that has always been largely instrumental.

The Orb’s 25th anniversary tour takes them through Montreal (tonight), Toronto (tomorrow), LA, Austin, New York and more (www.theorb.com for info). Check out the lead track from More Tales…

Steve Lalla penned the Lalla Land column for Montreal's late Hour magazine (2001-2011) with a focus on creative counterculture, electronic music and myriad forms of symbolic rebellion. With the demise of print media and the bankruptcy of all alternative newsprint in Montreal the legacy of Steve Lalla's writing continues online. Thanks for reading!